Chapter 14: HesitationSummary:Skye hesitates. Coulson stands firm.
Notes:So I decided to relax a bit. I'll update when it's done. :) the chapters is minimal at best now. Also I find this chapter more filler than anything.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text7 Years Ago
People suffer.
That's it. People just suffer.
They are born. Then experience life and die... but not before getting kicked in the nut or bosom and then thrown into an abyss to be forgotten.
Life sucks.
A man once told him how he was incarcerated all his life, taking away all the opportunities of getting a job, getting a worthwhile hobby, marrying a wife, and starting a family.
He said his life was worthless.
Cal would think that so too. But the thing is, people outside of a jail cell might not be living the fairy tale dream either.
Stuck in a dead-end job. Hating people for being assholes and devils. Getting stepped on. Having your family ripped out from your grasp.
He was definitely not living the 'life'.
But that's fine. He can take all the suffering in her daughter's stead if he has to.
If he has to.
Cal turned around to see Arnold holding his hand up, face gruff and full of scars. A deep one right along his right cheek and the wrinkles of his skin did not help ease the contusion.
"Where's the money?" He sounded displeased, lips dragging a scowl. The sound of the rain ramming through the small car window was more despairing— not that Arnold's sorry-for-an-excuse gun placed on his hip was any more intimidating than the hands he used to rip someone's head a couple of hours ago.
Cal sniffed and looked outside the car, minding another set of images of a desolate bridge. Why was he here? Because he misses his daughter.
He was stalling.
"You told me, my Daisy would be here." He turned to look the man in the eye, a deep calm in his sporadic mindscape. "Give me my Daisy first and you get your money."
"I told you, someone is going to deliver her. Give me the money first." He took his gun from his holster and pushed its nozzle on his neck.
It was cold.
He looked outside the window again, mind beating for the seconds tapping along the raindrops. He held up his hand and Arnold took the key and the parchment paper, crumbled up and dirty. "Go to this address. The money is in the locker."
Cal imposed his own rules and did not care for the man's threat to get out of the car. He went on his own.
Opened it to meet wet splotches and frosty breaths. He walked to the side of the bridge and looked over it. The river below was inconsolable. It rages the current, muddy and dark as if anyone who falls would be dragged to the bottom to sleep for a lifetime and more.
He was so dazed that he had not realized a car had pulled up and only noticed when the sound of a silent but distinct thud bounced on the pavement.
He stalled for more seconds before finally turning around.
He did not expect much.
He had not seen her daughter since she was a babe but for him, seeing scarlet painting her skin holding, eyes hollow and exhausted, and holding a wrench on her hand also crying out blood— he'd never seen a more beautiful light in his 16 years of searching.
Cal smiled, his lips unable to bear the relief washing over him. He did not mind the man who was being beaten by her daughter, as the stroke of the wrench repeatedly slammed on his skull and his bearing was already sullen long before Cal had stepped up to meet his daughter.
"Who are you?!"
"It's okay! It's okay. It's me... Y-" Cal stopped talking as the man suddenly jerked forward and pushed his Daisy off his back in his last act of breath before laying down unmoving.
Suddenly there were no more words between them. He realized Daisy had laid on the ground, eyes closed and breathing evenly.
He quickly holds up his sweet daughter looking for a place to let her sleep. He could introduce himself later when everything had settled.
"Why was I..." Cal looked over Daisy, her eyes running along the walls, breakfast forgotten. "Did you have me kidnapped?"
It was a blatant accusation but there was no real force in her voice, or at least, Cal doesn't hear it.
He sighed but hurriedly explained. "I didn't. I asked someone to point me to you but he said he knew someone who could reunite us. I hadn't known, it would be..." He also doesn't know how to explain without seeming guilty. Because he knew that Diasy resented him for his actions even before.
How she did not accept anything he offered after getting her in his home in a beat-up clinic.
It took him weeks to regain her trust.
He did not want a redo from before. "Believe me, Daisy. I did not want that to happen to you." He wanted to ramble but Daisy only raised her hand to make him stop. His eyes searched hers.
"You don't need to explain your side." Her voice was low. Her face was hidden by her hair and so he could only sit still. "I want to know what happened next."
"I-I took care of you. I was patient. You healed a few weeks later. I found out from the same guy that they did kidnap you from your van. They said you were part of an organization of hackers before you separated and they leaked your location to them but don't worry, Daisy. I made sure they were sorry for what they did to you." His eyes racking in the anger of those pesky incents daring to hurt his daughter.
"Van... hacker..." There was a far long gaze on Daisy that he couldn't understand but that's not new. Cal had seen Daisy's mind flying off before. He doesn't do anything. Just wait for it to pass.
"Then?"
"Then?" He asked back.
"What happened after?"
"I wanted to connect with you. I took you with me as we traveled as a father and daughter duo. You were against it at first but later you warmed up. Know that I wouldn't force you any more than I would have. We agreed and we were... happy." He felt his chest constrict.
"We were happy." He smiled bitterly as he couldn't look at his daughter. "You were smiling. You listened to the stories of how I met your mother. How much I had to do everything to be accepted by her tribe to even begin courting. Also, now that you've forgotten about it. If you want— I can tell you again..."
"It's fine. I'm sure I'll remember about it sooner or later." She stood up and paced away from him. He wanted to hug her but his chains prevented him from being closer.
"I wanted to know more about what happened to me. Before the accident—how did I get separated from you?"When he saw Daisy face him there was a sense of alienation there. As if this wasn't his daughter at all looking back at him. He grounds himself and reproaches how very vile of him to think that.
His daughter had forgotten about him of course she would act that way.
"Yes. You see after living with each other for months traveling, you often said you wanted to meet your mom." Cal could not hold off the slow pacing of his voice.
"She's alive?" This time, Daisy's eyes softened.
"Yes. You were also surprised when you knew about it. You wanted nothing more but to see her as well. I, as a father, could not be blamed for wanting to have a whole family again. Of course, I would be delighted but I knew your mother's temperment. I couldn't have just gone up to her at the time. I had to make it perfect first."
"Perfect? Perfect how?" Daisy's eyes narrowed and he felt he should explain further.
He walked as far as he could yet there was still some distance between them. He offered his hands to her and waited for her to grasp his worn-out arms. His daughter seemed reluctant but complied as she fully held his wrist and he held hers.
He looked down, eyes closed before opening it again. "I can feel you buzzing underneath my skin. However small, it is there." He whispered as if the walls could hear as his brown eyes held Daisy in a grip.
"Diasy... I know what you can do."
In a flash, Daisy stepped back and there was anger in them. "What happened?! What did you do?!"
He gave a small bittersweet smile. "It was what you were meant to be, Daisy. It was your destiny."
The floors trembled and he did not care. Reminiscent of 7 years ago. But instead of the thundering ones, it disappeared as if it never happened. He was impressed that after years his baby girl had now fully controlled her powers. There would be no second mistake.
But before he could go on, Diasy left and closed the door. Cal was surprisingly calm. That's a first for him.
He would have liked it if Daisy stayed for more than an hour a day but he could see her at least. It was more than the 7 years of resenting eyes that still haunted him. So he can be as sane as she wants him to be.
For her, he would be.
Skye wanted to crush something.
*Thud* *Bang* *Flick*
With each punch, the sandbag quivered under Skye's relentless assault. Sweat cascaded down her back, her forehead glistening beneath the small ponytail that fought to contain her unruly hair. The force of her kicks sent vibrations rippling through the air, culminating in an explosive release that cleaved the sandbag in two.
*BANG*
The gym wall shuddered briefly but remained unscathed.
As the echoes of falling sand grains filled the air, Skye's skin still tingling with residual vibrations, Cal's voice persisted in her mind, fueling her restlessness. Desperate to unleash more of her power, Skye suppressed the urge. Discipline held her back; she couldn't jeopardize the safety of those in the compound simply because of disagreements with Cal's parenting methods.
Daisy was like her. She lived a hard life on the road. Never had a home. She's a hacker and... she can cause vibration. However, the similarities end there. While Skye had no parents, she was never considered an orphan. Her definition of home was warped when she was young but she lived in the same place for a long time. But things considered, she related enough... enough to make Skye sympathetic. She was basically another Skye. Just not enough Skye to warrant world-ending escapades but maybe she's hurting just the same.
She wants to meet her.
"I want to meet her," Skye murmured, casting her gaze downward to her sand-covered feet.
A raspy voice disrupted her thoughts. "Well, definitely not before paying for that."
She didn't expect that the one she would meet at this time and day was a bruised-up Bobbie. Still, the Amazon woman was gorgeous, not gonna lie, she had a few peeking blue marks on her neck, arms, and right cheek. The impression was pretty obvious.
Lacking the energy for a retort, Skye grabbed her towel, settled on the bench, and opened her water bottle. "Don't worry, I can foot the bill for a hundred more of those. Even your medical expenses, if you want," she offered gruffly.
Bobbie snorted mirthlessly, wincing as she sat down. "Stolen money doesn't count."
"Yeah? It's not stolen money either."
"Good for you, then."
This time, a small smile tugged at Skye's lips. "What? Did your ass get spanked during your mission?"
"I don't wanna say yes, but I'd be a liar if I denied it."
Skye chuckled. "Hope the bedroom survived."
"It did, but the guy didn't." Bobbie rolled her eyes, crinkling her nose at the lingering scent of months-old sandbags. "I can't believe you destroyed that thing for such a small body."
"May can probably do it better, and she's smaller than me. Are you really that surprised?" Skye replied with a hint of a shrug before taking another sip of water.
"I believe she's the only superhuman that's human."
"And what, I'm not?"
"You're an ogre disguised as a human," Bobbie retorted.
"And you're a failed mutated giraffe experiment that just so happens to look drop-dead gorgeous," Skye replied without thinking.
Bobbie chuckled, a bit surprised. "You think I'm gorgeous?"
"Of course. If I considered you ugly, my god, what would that mean for me?" Skye didn't expect the blonde to let out a genuine laugh beside her. She peeked at the taller woman and raised an eyebrow.
"I hope you're not laughing at my expense." But Bobbie's infectious laughter made it difficult for Skye to take her mock indignation seriously.
"Oh, I totally am. That's the happiest I've been with being called ugly."
"Yeah, yeah. Enjoy it while you can. Because that's the last time I'm inflating your head." Skye stretched her arms and shoulders, feeling itchy from the sweat. She planned to go to the bathroom, but Bobbie was following her.
"What?"
"I'm sorry." Bobbie's face still had a hint of blue, her eyes avoiding direct contact with Skye. Skye intensified her gaze on the blonde's eyes without restraint, making the situation awkward. She didn't say anything else, exacerbating the discomfort.
When Bobbie couldn't handle it anymore, annoyance crept into her voice as she hastily repeated her apology, thinking Skye might not have heard it the first time. "Our first official meeting was not ideal. I know that I was being... too-"
Skye snorted between her words. "Bitchy?"
"... too guarded." The blonde narrowed her eyes at Skye. "I know it was out of line, and I'll proceed with an open mind. Also, thank you. If it wasn't for the extraction you did to help me, I wouldn't have made it without my arm." Bobbie seemed calmer now. Skye noticed unsightly skid marks on her shoulders, but her expression was surprisingly composed
Coulson had presented her with a few commissioned jobs. One of these tasks involved locating Bobbie, who found herself in a mission gone completely FUBAR, whatever that meant, and needed assistance getting out. Skye guided her through the labyrinthine underground facility in Sicily. Truthfully, she only undertook the mission to garner more favors from Coulson; her concern for the blonde warrior was merely a fraction of her motivation.
Yeah, definitely no hero complex here.
Hearing the shield agent express gratitude made Skye uneasy, prompting her to dismiss it for the moment.
Skye sighed. "I get why you might see me as some kind of mole. I'm not completely transparent about everything, so there's that. My words are all I have as evidence. I know it's hard to believe, but rest assured, I won't harm you guys unintentionally." SHIELD was a dying organization. She hopes they will recuperate and continue to serve humanity for the better and this team here will ultimately be the backbone that will place them back on the board.
So she didn't want to mess things up. This week would be a litmus test of whether they were prepared to guard the Diviner without her.
Because she wanted to believe in them.
"So are we good?"
"I think so? I mean, you're still a pain sometimes, but I'm not uncivilized enough to reject your apology. I can be pretty nice if you don't push me."
"You always provoke me first," Bobbie retorted.
"No. You provoke me first."
"Not where I'm looking at."
"Where the heck are you looking anyway?" Skye expressed bafflement at Bobbie's unyielding nature. "Let's stop before Coulson scolds one of us again." She rolled her eyes, recalling the man's stern lectures whenever Bobbie and she engaged in an argument.
"Is it just me, or does everyone accept you so quickly?"
"That's just you. I told you, I'm likable." Skye made playful eyes at the blonde, who looked visibly uncomfortable. Her attempt at cuteness deflated.
"Then why do I want to chuck you out of a moving train?" Bobbie asked with a snort.
"See, you're the one provoking first!" Skye said with an "aha!" but didn't push, knowing Bobbie possessed a sharp tongue. "Also, I guess my charm just doesn't work on you."
"Clearly."
"You're not sunshine and rainbow either, Madam Morse. If I didn't have self-restraint, I might have actually thrown bleach at your face during the third month you made me your cleaning mule." She frowned, recalling those days with dark clouds hovering over her. After reuniting with Jemma, Skye inexplicably became Bobbie's designated cleaner, tasked with cleaning everything from rooms to week-old rotting corpses.
Now, Skye believed it was a ploy to keep her away from Jemma and keep an eye on her, but by god, her nose almost lost its ability to smell thanks to her.
Skye frowned when Bobbie smirked, opting not to comment further.
"Anyway, I came to you for a truce. I promise I will tone it down, and I won't judge you too harshly as another way of thanking you." After a silence that lingered until they reached the showers, Bobbie continued, "I'm trying, as you can see."
"I think that would be for the better," Skye agreed. "A semi-truce then."
"I'm sorry what?"
Skye scrutinized Bobbie's expression as she approached the showers, with half-lidded eyes and a dismissive demeanor the brunette had a feeling. "I've got a pretty good knack for spotting lies, and since I landed at the Playground, you've been avoiding things – not just with me. There's definitely something you're keeping under wraps, and though I'm not one to pry, I can't shake off the feeling. I won't go as far as calling you a liar, but it seems like you're playing with fire, and you might not be prepared for the consequences."
Anticipating Bobbie's usual verbal barrage, Skye was surprised when Bobbie simply turned around and nodded. "No one's completely honest, anyway."
As Skye pondered those words, Bobbie's unexpected agreement lingered in the air. "I suppose not."
That night, when the entire Playground had succumbed to the moon and most of the agents was hidden in their rooms, Skye found herself drawn back to the cellar to visit Cal once again.
The careful creak of the door betrayed her entrance. Cal's calm gaze met hers, and Skye couldn't shake the feeling that he had been expecting her.
Closing the door behind her, Skye approached the small table in Cal's meager cell. The surroundings were sparse – just a bed, a thin mattress, a table, and enforced walls. While minimal, it was a far cry from the bleakness of most jails.
Her hesitation to meet Cal's eyes wasn't rooted in hatred. Despite her disliking for him, there was not enough reason to hate the guy. It was actually because of the opposite. Skye could feel there was an undeniable presence of love in Cal. Love reserved for his daughter— twisted? yes. But faltering? No.
It was this love, reserved for his daughter, that made Skye uncomfortable. It mirrored her own struggles with love, a force that had the potential to destroy everything in its path.
Cal was far from sane. There were times when they spoke to each other he'd lost himself to this burst of rage that was unfiltered and overbearing. And would show Skye how unhinged he has but even then— even when it might not seem like Cal— his love would not let him hurt Daisy.
He was a father through and through, she supposed.
Skye tapped once then twice and then some more. The sound of her impatience marred the four walls as if she were the only one in it. The sound of Cal breathing could hardly be heard.
Skye struggled to find the right words to address him. The questions lingered in her mind, unspoken yet pressing.
Where was Daisy?
Did you actually let your daughter go through Terrigensis?
Why?
Is she dead?
As she sought the courage to voice these inquiries, doubt crept in. Why was she so insistent on finding Daisy? What connection did they share? Was it a pursuit worth the effort?
She did say they were similar. But is that a justified reason to look for her? Does she even want to be found?
Skye cursed herself for her uncertainty. Great, you've kidnapped someone for this already. Why the hell are you questioning things now, stupid?!
It was a spur of the moment when she found out Daisy existed. It had triggered a deep-seated desire to find her, to understand who Daisy truly was. However, the more Skye delved into the search, the more Daisy seemed like a mere figment of others' stories— and nothing more.
To Veronica, she knew her as a shy childhood friend whom she spent days in an orphanage in New York. A girl who had trust issues from being brought back into the system after many attempts to find a home. To Cal, a daughter whom he lost and has only met again for a short amount of time. These two don't paint a picture enough.
Was it necessary to find her, and if so, for what purpose? If they met, what then?
Is she so bored that all her time is spent looking for another version of herself?
"Daisy," Skye finally addressed Cal, her conflicting thoughts momentarily silenced. His usually rough voice softened, perhaps to placate her. Even his eyes betrayed a concern that hadn't been there before – genuine worry.
Too bad he was giving it to the wrong person.
"You know, I never had a father," Skye confessed, rubbing her forehead as tension built in her temples. She chuckled bitterly, recognizing the lack of humor in her admission.
"I'm your father, Daisy. I might have missed a lot of stuff in your life, but I'm here to make up for it," Cal reassured, attempting to bridge the gap between them.
Daisy's father often tried to offer physical comfort, but Cal, understanding Skye's aversion, refrained from touching her. Yet, there was an undeniable restlessness in him, his guilty gaze conveying an unspoken apology.
"Well, then tell me, why did you..." Skye began but halted, restraining herself from making a potentially irreversible mistake. "I found that I can control vibrations. That's not normal. Why can I... what did you make me do? Why did you make me do it?"
Cal, seemingly wronged, caved under her scrutiny. "I only meant the best for you. You were meant for great things. Your mother is part of a group with extraordinary abilities, and as her daughter, you're destined for greatness. I wanted you to reach your full potential. It was your right." He said it with a twinge of pride but he hid it well.
Skye raised her hand to halt the explanation, gritting her teeth. She didn't need to hear his undying perspective. "How did you do it?"
"I know I needed help. The key was buried somewhere and since I needed it for the Terrigenesis, I needed a way to acquire the key. I went for a woman named Raina. A very ambitious woman. too vain. She was looking for a way as well to reach beyond human abilities. I made a deal with her that if she gets it, I can also help her transform. I didn't want you to get in danger so I hid this fact for over 3 months. I actually sent you away to New York so the heat wouldn't affect you and waited for me to pick you up. Raina managed to steal it from Whitehall using her connections. It was a tedious back in forth with him. Really messy."
"After we picked you up from New York I needed a way to open it. It's really complicated but I found a way to do it. A lost temple underneath a city."
Skye's face hardened. A Kree temple.
Who would have known that they actually managed to build one on Earth? Back in her universe, she stopped that from ever happening or at least destroyed the ones that were halfway through. Call it narrow-minded but she despised official Kree's intervention.
"How did you find it?"
"I had to pry it out from one of the council members on Afterlife."
"Afterlife?" Now that's new.
"So remember your mother. She's hidden from society. Living in a place called Afterlife. A place where gifted ones go."
"Back to the transformation. Was it successful?"
Cal, perplexed, responded, "You're standing in front of me, aren't you?"
Skye sighed, realizing the question was poorly framed. "I mean, what happened after the transformation? I need to know."
For the first time, Cal hesitated. Fear crept into his eyes, and Skye pressed him to reveal the untold truth. However, he resisted. "I-I..." He ruffled his own hair in a frazzled and dazed state. "I can't tell you! If I tell you you're going to feel guilty again!"
"I promise you, Dad. I won't. Just tell me."
"No-no! No... I can't." Cal starts pacing on the floor, her chains clacking behind him. The clinking chain sounds started to get into Skye's head as he refused to tell her.
"Please, Dad. I need to know. I lost most of my memories. I need to know what I did. Please, do it for me."
"No, I can't. I'm doing this for you. You don't need to know. You can continue forgetting that memory as if it didn't happen. It's for the best. You won't run away from me. We'll be happy again," he pleaded.
Skye didn't know what to do with this.
"Dad. Was... Was what happened the reason why I disappeared?"
Skye was losing a battle with herself. A big part of her was getting furious and a small part was holding to her hope that Cal would man up to his mistakes. Whatever it may be.
"I... yes," he said it so quietly, and regrettably Skye thought it was only her imagination.
Skye's anger surged, and she slammed her hand on the table, prompting Cal to recoil. "Tell. me. right. now."
Skye's eyes tunneled. She didn't even notice when she had reached Cal, but her hands had grabbed his shoulders and she squeezed. She heard him whimper. "Tell me right now, what happened to her?" Skye's demeanor chilled and she felt herself slip.
"What? Her?"
Skye's purple eyes gleamed as Cal continued to fixate on her. Suddenly, his expression morphed, a mix of manic energy and betrayal contorting his features. The muscles under her touch tensed, but not enough to break free from her grip. "You... you are not my daughter!"
A powerful kick to Skye's stomach followed, forcing her back, her glare even more pronounced now that Cal had started to fight back.
"You have her face... but your eyes. I thought it was because you transformed, but I remember now..." Cal's accusation reverberated in the air. "It was the same beautiful brown ones I held when she was a baby." His skin reddened, his hands clenched, and his body expanded slightly. "WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE'S MY DAUGHTER!?"
Skye could see Cal rushing towards her, his fist reeling back for a hook. Skye scowled and used her vibration to shield the attack and punched him right in the stomach. Cal did not expect it to land so hard that he actually froze and then threw up. Daisy snorted as he kneeled in front of her. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him up before slamming him on the walls. His face was haggard, sweat dripping on his forehead, and his mouth frothing with chunks of his dinner.
Closing the distance, Skye stood inches away from him, fixing him with a steely gaze. "I've been asking the same question you have, Cal. What happened to Daisy? Why would she be guilty of something?! ANSWER ME!" She struck him again, the sound of cracking bones accompanied by his screams.
However, Skye hadn't anticipated the door slamming open and a foreign object striking her skin. Though it didn't pierce, the impact elicited a hiss of pain.
When she turned her head to the side, a large body tackled her to the ground. Skye hit the floor in an ungodly manner that actually hurt a bit and dazed her for the briefest of seconds. Upon regaining consciousness, Skye found herself on the ground, restrained by Mack, with Bobbie and May brandishing guns at her. Coulson and Hunter stood by Cal, ensuring his well-being.
She wanted to laugh. She wished she'd done more than break his shoulder blades.
Suppressing a groan of pain, Skye glared at Coulson. "And here I thought you would keep your promise." She bit back the signs of discomfort, determined not to show weakness.
Mack's knee pressed into her stomach, intensifying the discomfort. "Here I thought you were civil with your target," Coulson remarked with disappointment.
"Oh spare me, your self-righteousness Director Coulson. Don't tell me SHIELD also handles all their interrogation by offering tea and sugar pops and asking them nicely for information because we both know that's bullshit. Anyways, I wasn't going to kill him." Skye retorted, glaring at Coulson before deftly toppling Mack off her and rolling back to her feet.
Bobbie and May were quick to shoot which she easily dodged once she stepped back and had full control of her body.
"Look at you guys so quick to pull the trigger. And you called me for breaking a few bones," she laughed as the bullets missed their mark.
When all rounds where shot, May cracks her knuckle ready for a brawl but Coulson stops her. "May, don't."
Skye was still pissed but didn't engage since she knew it'd be hard to get out without hurting them. She stared at Coulson again, waiting for him to make his move.
"Skye. Understand why we had to step in. He's injured. You look like you were going to end him." Skye noticed that Cal was unconscious on the bed, on his neck veins had turned blue at the site of the bullet hitting him.
So it's a tranquilizer.
Skye felt like her headaches were worsening.
They wanted to subdue her not kill but that doesn't mean she appreciated their meddling. "I told you, I wasn't going to kill him. I just wanted to scare him a little.' She tried to defend herself, but the skeptical looks directed her way suggested it might be futile. Rubbing her head again, she sighed, "It's complicated."
"Then uncomplicate it" May grits out with a glare... or is it? Her glare looks like her normal expression with an added flare of her eyebrows. Although May finally said something to her, it's a bit unfortunate that it had to be this in such a tense and awkward moment.
"I'm sorry. I can't make it uncomplicated," Skye scoffed. "But this guy knows the last location of who I'm looking for, and for me to find her, I need to trace her last known whereabouts. Unfortunately, he's the only one who might know about it. But he's being difficult, apart from being stupid enough to endanger his own daughter. He thinks he did the right thing. He still thinks he is by keeping the event from me." The thought of the schematics fueled her anger further.
Daisy didn't even say if she wanted to be changed. Did he even ask her? Based on how he said it, he never once said anything about letting her know the full consequences of what the change may bring. She might not have known until the last minute. Now that it happened what was the aftermath?
Dark thoughts lingered in her mind. Things she wished she hadn't thought of. The building shook before she realized and quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and held back her quakes. She took a few breaths to calm herself somewhat but there was nothing she could do with her growing frustrations. "This isn't any of your business. I need to know and you're in my way."
"We can help you extract that information, in the condition you give us ground to interrogate him and you also share some backgrounds on who you are looking for. I promise you, Skye we will help you to the best of our ability." Coulson had started inching towards her. His eyes looked down trying to seem understanding but Skye only felt like she was being played with.
She wanted to convey that this should be the least of their priorities, given the multitude of problems SHIELD already faced. They can't share a second more resource to something so insignificant to SHIELD'S cause. It's not a rocket science formula to figure out.
She shakes her head.
"This is a mistake to be here. I have stayed long enough. I'll take him and the obelisk with me. Anyone who tries to stop me will likely end up with fractured bones, I guarantee it." Skye glared at each one in turn.
Coulson looked even more disappointed than before but held his hand up, signaling the others not to take any action. "I understand. We'll let you go. May, have Koenig set the gate open."
"Wait, what?! Are we letting her go with the obelisk?" Mack's voice rang out, and although he was thrice her width and size, his hand on his stomach indicated Skye might have gone overboard with her kick.
"She can keep it safe, and she has a point." Coulson's gaze settled on May before going back to her. "SHIELD isn't the only one who has the right to keep artifacts safe. So long as you don't use it to harm others, I don't think you'll appear on our criminal list."
Skye nodded. "Even if I do appear in the future make sure my front shot is good," She joked but there was no humor in it.
As she walked toward Cal, ready to take him, a powerful zap on her neck sent a shockwave through her body. Skye's body went rigid and experienced the full degree of a thousand-watt shock before it stopped and her consciousness withered back into sleep.
"Fuck."
Coulson cursed softly under his breath as he observed May handing Bobbie a modified stun gun designed for individuals like the Hulk. May's expression remained relaxed, almost casual.
"She's definitely going to go berserk when she wakes up," Hunter remarked, wincing at the bruise forming on Skye's neck where May had stunned her.
"Well... Let's all collectively agree that Coulson did it," May remarked nonchalantly, strolling out of the room with deliberate steps.
Hunter shrugged. "Better big C than me."
Mack nodded with a sympathetic expression of borderline pity, patting Coulson's back. "Good luck, sir."
Coulson frowned even more.
Bobbie, however, seemed more intrigued by the brunette than the ongoing conversation. Kneeling beside Skye, she examined her with a sorrowful expression, adjusting Skye's clothes before lifting her in her arms—an admittedly challenging task given Skye's weight.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Director. Because if anything has surprised me about this whole thing, it's that Skye has a mean right hook. I've seen it first hand."
Leaving the room with the peaceful brunette in her arms, Bobbie headed to another holding cell. The remaining men examined the metal table, now out of commission due to a long crack on its surface.
"She's not human, is she?" Hunter asked with a whistle.
"She's part of the team and that's what matters." Coulson sighed and left to go to his office and talk to May about how to proceed next with Skye.
"Do any of you think Fitz can create armor for me before Skye wakes up?" Coulson asked with a touch of concern.
"Well, you should probably have Fitz work on it right now, sir," Mack suggested.
"Yeah, good call." The director promptly headed to Fitz's room, leaving the two men to speculate on how Skye would react the next morning.
Notes:Skye really isn't at all nice when she's troubled.
Also for those that story has not meet their expectation for where it is heading I apologize. At best the reunion of Skye with the Avengers with actually be for a few more chapters before that will happen but there will be some short meetings.
If that will hinder the reading experience, I will apologize a head of time.
Chapter 15: SuppressionSummary:Skye sees the silver lining to her suppressed emotion.
Notes:Because of the warm reception from the last chapter. I decided to have everything done much earlier. 😊
Also, I have put a disclaimer below. I don't know if it would matter, but I guess this is just to be safe.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextHow long are we going to sleep?
As long as we want. It's not like we have a deadline.
Aren't we in a hurry to find Daisy?
We don't even understand ourselves enough to know why we're looking for her.
Should there be a reason? Can't we just look for her?
People do things for a reason. That's how it's always been. Also, if you've noticed, we're tied up. Chained like an animal because people are afraid of us.
That's fair. However, others have always been afraid of us. That has never stopped us from doing what we wanted before. What changed?
I'm tired.
...
We've always been tired, Skye. But you're just throwing excuses.
Skye opened her eyes and felt her iris blinded by light. She cringed and wanted to shade herself when she noticed there were chains all over her body, preventing her from moving as she wanted.
For a moment, she was struck with confusion, the air was cold, her head pattering in tandem with her out-of-touch reality. Suddenly memories blurred and her dreams lapsed.
'Am I back in Fantasy Island?' she thought to herself. The image of a desolate prison crowded by ranging teeth cannibals and a den of enlarged egos from individuals with great gamma proportions.
It's been a while since her mind went there.
Instead of feeling panic, she found herself internally laughing. 'What am I thinking? I destroyed the place to near dust.'
She blinked her eyes for a bit and let out a small groan, feeling her neck a little itchy and sore but otherwise was actually well rested.
"Skye." The brunette perked up from her name being called and saw Coulson's worried face standing a few feet from her.
She noted finally that she was lying on a bed, the walls looking just like the ones she'd seen in Cal's holding room but this one seemed thicker and was emitting a sort of grounded energy.
She slowly sat up to face Coulson and couldn't help raising an eyebrow on why he was wearing full body armor that looked as much enhanced and engineered to perfection. The design was almost identical to the Iron Man suit had it been an inferior caricature.
They were somewhere underground, just from the vibrations she easily noted how deeply they were under the surface as alloys-based walls rock the whole infrastructure and Skye could also see a bright orange transparent barrier dividing her and Coulson.
She stood up and remembered the chain wrapped meticulously around her body and finally, this jiggled a memory in her head.
"You guys knocked me out." She said it as if she couldn't believe it.
Coulson stiffened, his breath admittedly slow and deliberate. He cough as he steadies himself in front of her, his heart thumping on his chest that Skye didn't need to use her powers to know. Skye stared at him coldly, before adjusting his throat. Heart beating even more. "Ah yes, we did— but-"
Skye walked until she was only inches from the barrier. "Are you caging me here like an animal, Coulson?"
The man she had regarded as a comrade looked at her like all those people she'd intimidated before, they could feel the intensity of her very gaze.
"You'd need to calm down first, Skye. I did it for Mr. Zabo's sake and..." He stopped his eyes looking guilty. "You must know, Skye that our fight with HYDRA had just begun. We need all the cards we have against them. The obelisk is one of those. We can't have it outside our parameters just yet. I only need to borrow it for a while."
The whole building shook as if they were under the ocean riding a wave rather than concrete. To experience it was scarier than Coulson had thought. This lasted for only 5 seconds before it disappeared and Skye raised her chin. "You think you have any ground to negotiate with me after what you did?" There was no infliction to her voice. Just a monotone that sounded even worse once it landed on Coulson's ear.
"This room is one of the secure facilities that SHIELD owned even back in the early 20s. Its walls had been manufactured and designed to keep power-based individuals such as yourself able to take 100 tons of force. This barrier between us is a forced field that can both electrocute you when touched and reflect energy to its user when heated to severe degrees." While Coulson explained all Skye did was chuckle mirthlessly.
But Coulson persisted. "Don't worry we will feed you every day til we will let you go. You have clothes prepared and your belongings are kept safe as well. You don't need to worry."
"Of course, I don't need to worry. I'm fucking Skye." As if shrugging, the chains fell on the ground in a hard thump. Its ends were broken in rough points as Skye started stretching her shoulder as if she just didn't break high-grade chromium chains.
She turned her back and hummed with a tune. "So, you wish to keep me here until you're little run-in with Whitehall is finished, am I correct?" Skye asked as her eyes looked over Coulson's sweaty face.
"Yes."
"How long do you think that would take?"
"We don't know for sure. They're getting bolder since losing the obelisk. Whitehall has been deploying his men around us. It might not be long before they rage a war on our doorstep." Coulson rubbed his temple to get his bearing still as the room turned colder each second.
Coulson was taller than Skye but he couldn't be more little, the brunette's purple hue pierced his with a wicked grin. "You really think I'm going to stand for that? Trapped here while you waltz around headless into the foray? Let me ask you, Coulson, are you even in your right mind at the moment?"
This seemed to hit a spot for him. "What do you—"
"You haven't been sleeping. You reek of plaster and your nails have dirt and scratches. You mumble when you think no one is watching and you're easily distracted by words not there." Skye listed these things unapologetic as she stared him down with a glare. "I'm going to ask you. Is this really because of Whitehall or do you want the obelisk for your own selfish reason?"
Coulson felt his body pushed by something invisible as he hit the wall on the other side of the room. He pressed the button under his palm as a failsafe to get back up. But Skye had learned her lesson, the door suddenly creaked until an alarm sounded, blaring and beeping repeatedly.
"System Malfunctioned!"
"System Malfunctioned!"
"System Malfunctioned! Obstruction detected."
Out of nowhere the stun he had prepared as well as his I.C.E.R with a vibranium tip projectile, had launched in the air and collided with the wall so keenly that it broke on impact.
Coulson worried and stared back at the only person who could have done this and he was met with a smiling woman with a cold disposition amidst the sound of the alarm that kept on flashing horribly. "That won't work a second time." Her voice mocking.
"Skye, I need you to listen to me. We are here to protect people. We are against HYDRA and for what they stand for. I am truly just using the obelisk to take out our enemies— nothing more!"
She scoffed. "You liar! I can hear it so clearly, Coulson. Your heart tells me otherwise." Skye started walking and stopped again on the barrier. For a moment, Coulson relaxed knowing electricity works great against her. Her bruised neck was the proof.
That was until the barrier began to wobble. "Nice set up. But the foundation is sorely underdone." Coulson noticed the edge of the walls where the barrier started was starting to crack. Until a larger explosion that covered his entire view.
He coughed as dust and wind entangled the room, in his intercom he could hear May's panicked yell to get himself out of there but how? He really thought this was enough, how arrogant of him.
He didn't even notice that someone had gripped his chin and looked up to see Skye looking down at him. "Tell me. Right here and right now, Coulson— while I still have the decency to ask. Why do you really want the obelisk? Give me another lousy excuse and you'll know firsthand how I got my moniker, 'Headless Berserker'. I'll give you a hint. It's not my head flying off."
An incredible degree of gravity coursed through Coulson's body that twisted his limbs to stay immobile against his very wish to fight back, along with the dread that overcame his nerves. It was buzzing and suffocating.
A slithering force grabs hold of his neck as Skye's hand hovers on his head. Her eyes bore through him, hers a laying waste of nothing and it scared him. The heat coming off her palm was searing and was a contrast to the cold gripping his arms and legs.
"Talk! Dammit!"
"I-I died!" He choked out. "On the battle of New York... I died." Skye's hand stopped and was silent as if urging him to continue. "They said it was just five minutes. Five minutes that my heart stopped beating but for me, it felt like an eternity. Fury told me at the time that they managed to make a near miracle. That they got me back after my heart was pierced through through intensive medical technology. Five minutes. That's what he always repeated... but I found out that, that really wasn't the truth." The hold on his neck lessened and he was pushed on the thought that it was working.
"I found out after saving another ex-agent of mine- about how they actually did it. I didn't die for a few minutes. I died for days. I-" he felt his chest constrict as he had been holding this off for a long time. Unable to tell anyone. Not even May. "I was resurrected through a project named T.A.H.I.T.I. with the objective of bringing back an Avenger member in the offset that they die in battle to be brought back again. I was the few who was subjected to the same thing. A dead man, who was pulled from the dirt he should have laid forever."
"They did it by injecting me with a chemical called GH. 352 which also came from the blood of a dead Kree." His limbs were free but the pressure was there. Skye's eyes widened but did not say anything as she continued to listen without a murmur.
"For a while, It didn't bother me. But I couldn't lie to myself about how things started to get out of control. I started to have these visions. Symbols that were itching for me to be carved. It was maddening. It was telling me again and again! But I don't know what it is! I just knew that I had to write it! It calmed down a few months ago and I thought that was it. Until you showed me the obelisk. That itch that I thought I had scratches came back fuller than ever. It told me to get it. I-"
Coulson felt the pressure completely off of him as Skye stood up and walked away. She sighed and was quietly thinking of something. Her face turned from irritation to contemplative then both at the same time.
When she reached her verdict, she gave him a look, waved her hand and he was standing on his feet. But her gaze was still hard. "I am going to be honest with you, Coulson. I don't think I can let you have the obelisk to fix your obsession but" her words stopped and her face mushing to irritation before combing back her hair. "I think I can get it out of your system. However, given our situation. Since you won't hand me the obelisk til Whitehall is settled then... just this once, I'll bite the bullet."
Skye face the wall where the heavy-lidded vault door stood and cocked one last look at him. "Three days from now, I'll send a location to you. Don't ask me how I'm going to send it, just know that it's me. Meet me there with your team along with the obelisk. I'm giving you temporary ownership of it. Make sure you keep it safe and away from anyone however after three days and none you follow my condition. I'll make sure. I'll finish what I started here... starting with you."
Coulson had questions but suddenly a loud and powerful explosion pushed him back again. This time it was much more violent as the whole building shook and clattered.
Coulson was disheveled and confused when finally it stopped and was surprised to see the vault door had been burst open from within. The door was squished like clay and laid aside along with the rubble, concrete, metal, and piece of tarmac.
Coulson heard footsteps and May and Bobbie quickly came to his aid. They lead him out of the room to have Simmons have a look at him when Hunter could be seen outside the enforced cell.
"Bloody hell!" Hunter's astonishment rang in the room as Coulson wondered why he was looking up.
Just outside of the room where the hallway ran, the ceiling had a huge hole. It was massive, long and if he had to guess should be running straight up to the surface.
"We were underprepared, weren't we?" May asked beside him, her face also pretty shaken at the giant tunnel escape.
"Let me tell you, it looked like I was staring Hades in the eyes while getting persecuted." He hadn't even known that his hands were trembling, he felt the vibrations on her hand so close to his skin, and gave him the impression she could have squeezed his head without a second look or better yet buried them here til they lost every will to live.
Beneath the ceiling of one of HYDRA's hideout buildings, Whitehall paced over the twenty individuals who had donned the SHIELD logo uniform albeit distinctly altered. Now with an added three-point star on the Eagle's chest.
Whitehall may have complimented its design had he been calm, collected, and well underway unto his plans. Unfortunately for them, only visage wore bearing and his whole mind and facet had been over the artifact that had been lost for quite some time now. Not to mention, how this very specific artifact lost had wedged a very large hole in his plans.
He wants reparations.
"I have noted your concerns and I have heard your side. Now you must answer mine. Where is the obelisk?" He smiled warmly at all the SHIELD agents kneeling before him, battered and injured.
Whitehall had crossed his arms waiting for anyone to speak up yet no one did. His eyes flew over their 'Director'. An old man, maybe not old as him but his cane and wrinkles spoke volumes.
"What about you, Director Gonzalez, care to save your men?"
The old man pursed his lips while he glared. He was also kneeling on the ground and cuffed but because he neither had the disposition to retaliate most of his men had restricted the able ones on the ground and left Gonzalez by his lonesome on the cold ground.
He raised one finger and a gun was fired. Blood soaked the ground and the remaining ones all gasped and shook as one of their own had a hole struck in their chest.
Whitehall waited for Gonzalez to speak yet his mouth remained uncooperative. He hums and starts to crane his neck. "You know, Director... you must be in over your heads when you decided to infiltrate one of my facilities. I know it's unprecedentedly unused for quite some time but even we know too much of a risk to occupy. But then you go ahead, resource so dwindling that it's too funny to even think about."
"This facility has always been under SHIELD's jurisdiction." Ah, the frog finally croaked. Let's see if it continues to sing.
"Wrong! This here has been HYDRA's. It's just shrouded in a lot of party displays. Do you even know where you're leading your team into?" He raised another finger and another bullet matted the room as more and more SHIELD agents began to fear for their lives. As they should.
"Stop! We don't have your Obelisk! We've told you hundreds of times!" Gonzalez screamed as he trembled under the weight of his men losing their lives left and right.
"Let's be honest, Director. A few days ago. Three agents infiltrated my building, stole what was mine, and left under a Quinjet. Who else would try to aggravate HYDRA but SHIELD?"
"It must have been Coulson. We are not under him. We are the REAL SHIELD! He's the one you're after!"
After such an outburst Whitehall cackled. "Real SHIELD?! And what? You're the real Director?"
This time Gonzalez's face morphed into a seething rage at his insults but he couldn't have been more delighted. "Well then isn't that all the more reason to exterminate you and your men? After all, you are the REAL SHIELD. Less competition. Coulson will just have to wait it would seem."
Knowing that the obelisk was not here, he planned to leave. There was nothing more to say.
He started walking out to let his men finish the night but he stopped when a tug on his feet slowed him. He looks down to see Gonzalez looking frazzled.
"Wait. I want to make a deal with you."
"A deal with me?"
"Yes. You let me and my team go and we will get the obelisk from Coulson and return it to you."
Whitehall's smile raised a level. Such a delicate specimen with so little concept of his own virtues. Such is a leader with little to hope for.
"If I were to agree to this, then I want you to kill all those who had helped Coulson in stealing my Obelisk, will you comply?"
"...yes."
"Do you know what you spoke of Director? Making a deal with me, is making a deal with HYDRA, does a concept like that exist in REAL SHIELD?" He couldn't keep his mirth off his lips.
He does not answer for a while. "I have no choice."
"One always has the choice whether or not to comply." He took his leg out of Gonzalez's reach and patted it off for dirt. "But since you offered it would be a shame to decline. Coulson and his team's life with the obelisk and in exchange I will let all your team go. But since I need a guarantee, I will withhold half of your team with me. I promise not to kill them until the allotted time of a week is met." He cleaned his suit and stared at one of his agents to come forward. Bakshi was left to run the place so there was no other official with him.
A woman walked up and saluted. Whitehall was appeased. "Call for pick up and take nine of them with us."
"Yes sir." She called to base as Whitehall waited.
"Take the restrain off him," Whitehall said afterward as Gonzales let off a relief sigh.
"Wouldn't it be meaningless to do that, Dr. Whitehall?" He was struck a bit confused by what she meant.
"And why would that be?" He inquired.
"Because I'm just going to restrain him again." The woman said as she properly stared at him, her purple eyes and ruffled short hair all rounded in a mischievous smile.
Whitehall had only the barest moment to decipher the meaning behind her words when suddenly shots were fired from all angles and all of his men tumbled down like dominos.
He was kicked on the chest and pushed painfully to a chair, which he had not noticed was placed evenly. His head was displaced before a clink was heard and his wrists were cuffed to the armchair.
"What is happening?!" He hissed as he looked on as the room was a battlefield of bullets. Half of his men are dead while half of them were trying to kill the woman responsible.
She laughed as the chair he was sitting on was pulled back to hide him from flying projectiles. "I'm really sorry for cutting off this spectacular meeting, Daniel but I have business with you. Wait here for a second, okay?" She patted his chest as if they were old-time friend so he scowled but was ignored.
He saw her nimble body dodge all bullets as if she knew where they were going to shoot and fired her own gun with some precision.
"I haven't fired a gun in so long so give me a few moments to adjust!" She shouted to the remaining men he had, all the while, Whitehall was baffled by this woman's behavior.
She continued firing until all her bullets were spent and yet there were still eight of his sleeper agents alive.
"Kill her!" He screamed as all of his eight men rushed to kill her both with their guns and knives.
One moment he thought he had gotten everything under control the next the woman grinned and continued to dodge bullets like it was nothing, once she got close to one of the agents, she grabbed their head and it exploded.
All of them were shaken. The agent had towered over her but was now slowly falling on the ground, its neck devoid of anything but blood and skin still slightly attached.
While everyone was struck frozen, she glided again, and when in reached she she effectively blew each head with only a touch of her hands. The few who acted after getting over their shock started gunning for her but abnormally, a wave strong enough to propel the bullet back had also pushed everyone away.
Whitehall was not an exception as he was shoved past and fell on the floor, his head hitting the ground below. He groaned and could not move as he was still strapped down.
After that, he could not see anything but the white with scarlet splatter ceiling as he heard more and more heads exploding. Some screamed and others sobbed with apologies.
His breathing labored and quickened as he felt his doom moving closer. He rattled his wrist to get himself free but he did not have enough time when things suddenly went quiet. The only sound was whimpering from a few feet from him. Likely the SHIELD agents that were spared from the onslaught.
Then his view was upright again but he was met with a blood-bathed woman whose purple eyes shone even brighter than a few minutes ago. She smiled sweetly at him and all he could feel was despairing fear. She held the armrest with one hand and gripped his collar with the other. Before he knew it, his nose was bleeding from her head striking his face.
"Arrgh!" Whitehall's face was also caked with dried blood and now he wanted to reprimand.
"Now that's a proper face of a HYDRA head." She chuckled. "Very nice."
"You!" His breathing now quickening in both anger and fear. "Who are you?!"
"You don't recognize me, boss?" She asked with a pout. But he couldn't recall anything.
"Shit. Must be the blood thing, wait!" She was looking over the room that had now a small flood of red everywhere. Wherever he looked, there was so much of it that it was futile to try to make sense. Instead, his eyes followed the woman, as he knew that if he didn't settle this delicately he would also lose his head.
She bobs toward Gonzalez who is surprisingly not splattered with anything but was also looking at her with mixed emotions however was definitely scared of her.
"Hey, gramps, I need to borrow your blazer for my face." He spluttered for a bit but did as she wanted and handed it rather quickly.
"Thanks." And walked back to him.
She rubbed her face aggressively on the blazer and true enough her face was now more comprehensible. Whitehall finally understood what she was getting out.
"You're the one who stole the obelisk."
"Right, you are Daniel!" She clapped mockingly and walked around him in circles.
"Where is it?!"
"Unfortunately, not with me, no. Coulson has it at the moment."
"Then what are you doing here?" He asked face looking for something to fight back least this goes south.
"To be honest, I was never one to meddle in HYDRA and SHIELD's rivalry. I tend not to because it's not my place to do so. I've always been the kind of person who'd only do things for my own good and if it's something I wanted to do for others I care about. I was never one for 'the-good-of-all'. I've done the whole superhero or good guy jig and it just blew up in my face so please know that I didn't do any of this because I hate you. But I'm having a hard time with maintaining the obelisk in my possession and people trying to take it from me. If I were to choose from SHIELD or HYDRA. I guess I'd rather pick you."
"For what?"
"To kill of course!" The woman gazed at him with no hesitation, just like any cold-blooded killer would. "Coulson said he needs it because of you so if there's no Daniel Whitehall there's no such need to have the obelisk. It's a simple conclusion really."
He contemplated his situation and started laughing. "I'll offer you more than what Coulson is able to give you. Money, resources, and even the obelisk. Let me live and I'll make sure you have everything."
She mirrored his grin. "Then if I asked for the assassination of all HYDRA heads, can you do it?"
"That's impossible!"
"It's a pretty easy choice, Daniel. Your pretty little HYDRA group for your life." She twirled his seat twice before stopping it ardently. "What do you say?"
"That's preposterous! That's an impossible choice to make!"
The woman's smile didn't falter, as her hand started touching his cheek while leaned away from her. She strictly grabbed his neck and pulled him closer, his heart picking up as her hand was deathly hot. "Come on, Daniel we both know one always has a choice whether or not to comply." An inside joked as she chuckled. Her hand touched his hair and waited for the anticipated explosion but it never came. He heard her chuckle again.
"What? Afraid I'll blow your head off too? Don't worry." She patted his cheeks and suddenly took a knife from her back and slashed something.
[THIS PART DISPLAYS GORY NARRATIVE SUB-CONTEXT AND DESCRIPTION. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. PLEASE SKIP BELOW]
He felt lighter. He looked at her and saw himself lifted up. He felt nothing and everything at the same time. His mouth opened and no voice would come out.
His view moved but it was not his own decision. The hand gripped his hair and turned him until he saw his own body still strapped on the chair while a ghostly voice aired on his ear. "I need yours whole. Sleep tight, Daniel"
He was losing focus as suddenly there was now nothing.
[SCENE IS DONE. CONTINUE HERE.]
Skye wrapped up the head with a cloth she brought with her and put it on the cooler she had hidden beforehand.
She cracks her back and diverts her attention to the ones still alive.
The director named Gonzalez was less impressive than she thought. She was very confused when after infiltrating the group midway to the facility, Whitehall began ushering them that they'd captured SHIELD only to see unfamiliar faces.
"So REAL SHIELD? I don't really have beef with you but I don't trust you either. Right now an armored vehicle will come here and I want you guys to be as cooperative as possible and no one will die. You understand, gramps?"
"Ye-yes."
"Good. Cause I have a crappy day so far and I really need some slack. I mean, this took the stress and anger out of me but it's still tiring." She uncuffs Whitehall's body and pulls it off so she can sit there to relax before she steals the armored car.
"Where are you going to take us?"
"I guess to the man you hate most at the moment."
"You mean, Coulson?"
"Director Coulson, yes."
"I'm the Director!"
"You're a director of nothing old man. What you're doing is playing make-believe."
"What?! I took the remains of SHIELD AND BROUGHT IT BACK UP!"
"And after that, did what?" She didn't even feel any semblance of charisma from him. Just a man who's whining. "You thought I didn't know what you were doing. I checked Bobbie's logs you know. Unknown connection to an anonymous individual giving her sets of orders. Mack isn't any better since every time Coulson has decisions he doesn't explain he goes off and types in a report to someone."
"How did you-"
"I'm a hacker extraordinaire! I'm just not motivated to explore since I've never cared about internal conflict. But now it's becoming clearer. You've divided SHIELD resources, have only spied on Coulson so far in your career as Director, a really short accomplishment really, and haven't even done anything to fight back HYDRA— but done the opposite actually and even negotiated with them. Ain't that a dozy for a director, right?" He couldn't speak back as she twirls on the chair.
"Should I congratulate you, gramps? because as much as I have a small grudge with Coulson I still think he has more integrity than you. Secrets and all. All you've done can be counted by one finger and it's not even that remotely impressive."
Suddenly she felt the arrival of the armored car. "Stay here while I get our ride, if anyone tries to leave, you know what will happen."
She didn't wait for anything and left the room with her knife.
Notes:So it would seem, that Skye's anger was redirected to someone else. Good thing too.